ELABORATION OF OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS AGRICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION PILOTS FOR A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE WATER RESOURCES SASS III IN THE SASS BASIN OF THE NORTH WESTERN SAHARA AQUIFER SYSTEM July 2010 – June 2014 The North-Western Sahara Aquifer System (SASS) is a basin of over 1,000,000 km2 shared by three countries (Algeria, Tunisia, Libya) whose water reserves are substantial with an almost fossilized aspect. The implementation of “Agricultural Demonstration Pilots” within the framework of the SASS III project was intended to demonstrate within a participatory ap- proach, the feasibility, effectiveness and efficiency of technical solutions to local problems of unsustainability management and operation of the SASS resource in irrigation in the three countries sharing the resource. Six agricultural demonstration pilots at farm scale level, with different themes, were implemented by farmers themselves in the three countries. The technical innovations introduced aimed at the intensification of cropping systems, water saving and the improvement of the resource’s valorization through the selection of high added value crops. The results obtained after two crops in the three countries help confirm the availability of efficient technical solutions for the renovation of cropping sys- tems and making them viable at farm level. What remains to be done, however, AGRICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION is validating these results and making them reliable on a larger spatial scale in pilot “production systems” integrating the various local structural constraints to PILOTS IN THE SASS BASIN the development of irrigation in the SASS area. SIN A B Towards a Sustainable and Profitable SS A S Agriculture in the Sahara THE IN PILOTS ANRH DGRE GWA TION A DEMONSTR L A ISBN : 978-9973-856-86-9 GRICULTUR Sahara and Sahel Observatory A - III Bd du Leader Y. Arafat, BP 31, 1080 Tunis Carthage, Tunisia Tel. : (+216).71.206.633 - Fax : (+216).71.206.636 SS URL : www.oss-online.org - Email : [email protected] A SAHARA AND SAHEL OBSERVATORY S ELABORATION OF OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE WATER RESOURCES OF THE NORTH WESTERN SAHARA AQUIFER SYSTEM July 2010 – June 2014 AGRICULTURAL DEMONSTRATION PILOTS IN THE SASS BASIN Towards a Sustainable and Profitable Agriculture in the Sahara Drafted by: Ali Mhiri Regional Consultant Read by: Abdelkader Dodo Water Program Coordinator Djamel Latrech SASS III Project Coordinator Maxime Thibon Scientific Advisor Reviewed by: Khatim Kherraz OSS Executive Secretary August 2014 Copyright © SAHARA AND SAHEL OBSERVATORY (OSS), 2014 ISBN : 978-9973-856-86-9 Table of Contents GENERAL INTRODUCTION 11 1. General Issue of the SASS 13 2. Local variations of the SASS general issue 17 3. Objectives of the SASS III Project 17 3.1. General objective of the project 17 3.2. Specific objective of the “Demonstration Pilots” component 19 4. Concept of “demonstration pilots” and approach to their implementation 21 4.1. Concept of the demonstration pilot 21 4.2. Approach to the implementation of the pilots 24 4.3. The process of implementing the pilots 27 RESULTS OF THE PILOTS 33 ALGERIA 35 P1 P2 1. General context of the pilot 36 1. General context of the pilot 57 2. The local issue of irrigation 37 2. Local issue of irrigation 59 3. Theme of the Ksar Aït Messaoud pilot 39 3. Theme of the pilot 59 4. Pilot location and characteristics 39 4. Location and characteristics of the pilot 60 5. Action plan of the pilot 43 5. Action plan of the pilot 62 6. Evaluation of activities carried out 44 6. Evaluation of activities carried out 63 7. Main results 47 7. Main results of the 2 consecutive years of the 8. Evaluation of results 52 Pilot Implementation 63 9. Conclusion and recommendations 53 8. Evaluation of results 73 9. Conclusion and recommendations 74 LIBYE 77 P3 P4 1. General context of the pilot 80 1. Local issue of irrigation 95 2. Local issue of irrigation 80 2. Conclusion and recommendations 96 3. Theme of the pilot 80 4. Location and characteristics of the pilot 80 5. Action plan of the pilot 81 6. Evaluation of activities carried out 83 7. Results 83 8. Dissemination of the pilots results 91 9. Conclusion and recommendations 91 TUNISIE 98 P5 P6 1. General context of the pilot 101 1. General context of the pilot 119 2. Local issue of the pilot 102 2. Issue of the pilot 120 3. Theme of the pilot 102 3. Theme of the pilot 121 4. Location and characteristics of the pilot 102 4. Objective of the pilot 121 5. Action plan of the pilot 106 5. Location and characteristics of the pilot 121 6. Evaluation of activities carried out 107 6. Action plan of the pilot 121 7. Results 107 7. Evaluation of activities carried out 126 8. Conclusion and recommendations 111 8. Results 130 9. Results of the second agricultural year 137 10. Conclusion 140 P7 1. General context of the pilot 143 2. Local water issue 144 3. Theme of the pilot 144 4. Objective of the pilot 145 5. Location and characteristics of the pilot 145 6. Action plan of the pilot 148 7. Evaluation of activities carried out during the 1st agriculture year (2011-2012) 148 8. Results and their evaluation 151 9. Conclusion 156 SYNTHESIS OF THE RESULTS OF THE PILOTS OF THE THREE COUNTRIES 158 GENERAL CONCLUSION 163 OPERATIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS for an efficient management of irrigation water in the SASS zone 165 I. Introduction 167 1. Objective of the operational recommendations 167 2. Recipients of the operational recommendations 167 3. The targeted areas of action 168 4. Capitalization of results 168 5. Lessons learned from the results 168 II. Operational recommendations 171 1. Recommendations at the institutional level 171 2. Recommendations in the technical field 173 3. Recommendations on the socioeconomic issues 176 4. Recommendations in the environmental field 176 List of Figures, Graphics and Tables FIGURES Figure 1. Map of the SASS exploited water points in 2010 in the three countries. 21 Figure 2. Map of the irrigated areas in the SASS zones of the three countries. 21 Figure 3. Pilot localization map in the SASS zones of the three countries. 21 Figure 4. Spatial image of the geographical location of Ksar Ait Messaoud oasis. 40 Figure 5. Location of the set of surface wells in parallel to the eastern periphery of the oasis. 40 Figure 6. Satellite image of the line of vertical wells of one foggara in the pilot zone. 41 Figure 7. Ground view of the mouths of the vertical wells of the Tamentit foggara under rehabilitation on the Adrar-Reggane road. 41 Figure 8. Restoration of a vertical well of the Tamentit foggara under rehabilitation. 41 Figure 9. Vertical cross section of the Tamentit foggara gallery at the level of its mouth at the old periphery of the oasis with the same name south of Adrar on the road to Reggane. 41 Figure 10. Divider of a foggara at the entrance of an oasis. 42 Figure 11. What remains of the water quota of a cropper of the foggara pilot after an important decrease in its flow. 42 Figure 12. A farm totally abandoned following the decrease of the flow of the foggara supplying this oasis. 42 Figure 13. Traditional cropping system using flooded irrigation. 43 Figure 14. Ruins of the old village of Tamentit entirely abandoned together with its oasis after the drying up of its foggara. 43 Figure 15. Project team with the oasis farmers around a drilling for the validation of the choice of this new resource and its use for the restoration of the initial flow of the foggara. 45 Figure 16. Visit to the pilot plots with OSS consultants together with the pilot farmers. 45 Figure 17. Connecting a well to an individual storage basin for the pressurization of the new localized irrigation network. 45 Figure 18. Installing an electric discharge pump at the exit of the storage basin for the pressurization of the localized irrigation network. 45 Figure 19. Intercropping area unexploited because of lack of water before the project. 46 Figure 20. Intercropping (zucchini using localized irrigation, 2011-2012). 46 Figure 21. Old distribution and flood irrigation channel (séguia) and its replacement by localized irrigation adapted to the palm tree. 46 Figure 22. Winter tomato crop with localized irrigation 2011-2012. 46 Figure 23. Potato crops at two levels of development. 53 Figure 24. Zucchini crops at two levels of development. 53 Figure 25. Tomato crops at two levels of development. 53 Figure 26. Pepper crop in its beginning. 53 Figure 27. Main collection channel of the valley of Oued Righ. 58 Figure 28. Satellite image of the Oued Righ valley oasis map. 61 Figure 29. Satellite image of the pilot’s site. 61 Figure 30. Spatial image of the palm grove of the pilot. 61 Figure 31. Intra-plot open draining ditch that has become non-operational due to a lack of maintenance. 61 Figure 32. Secondary collecting channel sealed with reed. 61 Figure 33. A plot of the oasis before renovation by the project. 64 Figure 34. The water distribution channel at the entrance of the farm. 64 Figure 35. Laying the drainage pipe. 64 Figure 36. Filling the drainage ditch after laying the drainage pipe. 64 Figure 37. Sandy amendment to remedy to what is left of the open drainage ditches and elevation of the soil surface. 64 Figure 38. Setting an electrical pump for the pressurization of irrigation water. 64 Figure 39. Efficient operation of the drainage network as soon as the buried channels were installed. 65 Figure 40. The Algerian National Consultant, M. Lamine Hafouda supervising the extension of the localized irrigation network.